Junk (Ship)
Description A groundling ship used extensively by oriental civilizations, the Junk is well suited to ocean travel, but poorly suited to wildspace. In space, Junks suffer from very poor handling, with MC F and a -1 penalty to SR. Junks powered by Sails of the Stars move at SR 1; the penalty to SR does not reduce their SR to 0. Junks do not usually possess any weapons, and are easy prey for pirates indeed. The fact that Junks are becoming so common has little to do with their suitability for space travel, and much to do with the fact that their owners tend to operate large fleets of the cheap craft, such that the profits made by the fleet as a whole more than outweigh the losses caused by individual Junks which never reach their destinations. Crew Junks usually carry only a dozen crew, but will typically carry enough passengers to bring the total number of people aboard to about 60. This dangerously strains the air envelope, and an ever-increasing number of junks can be found floating derelict with poisoned atmospheres as a result. Junks will usually carry only a single low-level helmsman (or, more commonly, no spellcasters if Sails of the Stars are used), and the captain will typically be a commoner warrior. The captain is rarely the ship's owner, and is instead usually a hireling of a mercantile family. The rest of the crew is typically made up of commoners of low station. The entire crew of a Junk, including the officers, tends to be made up of newcomers to space who are completely ignorant of the dangers to be found there. Ship Uses Trade: Most Junks in space are traders owned by mercantile families who operate large fleets of the craft. These ships transport goods and passengers simultaneously, and tend to be packed to the gills in order to make the largest profits possible. The passengers are typically emmigrating from their home countries to newly-created colonies where they have a chance at a better life, while the goods carried are those which the new colonies will need to survive. On the return trip, the Junks will carry the riches of the colonies back home, and will usually carry much fewer passengers. These ships are excellent targets for pirates, and they are only profitable for their owners due to the large numbers of ships sent out, since many are lost along the way. Military Supply: While Dragonships are usually the vessels of choice for oriental governments involved in spelljamming, and Junks are usually relegated to civillian use, it is not entirely uncommon for Junks to be used as supply ships for military vessels. These Junks are generally only used as a stopgap measure until they can be replaced by more suitable ships. Other Configurations Convoy Defender: While the typical response to losing Junks to the predations of pirates is simply to send more ships, some mercantile families have begun sending their Junks out in convoys. Some of the Junks in these convoys will be modified to be Convoy Defenders. These ships are identical in appearance to standard Junks, but are equipped with 2 light ballistas and a bombard in order to fight off any attackers. This reduces the cargo space to 10 tons, and these ships usually carry 20 trained crew in order to operate at peak efficiency, even if they take some casualties. So far these Convoy Defenders have proved to be no match for pirate attackers, and it is likely that the practice of arming Junks in this fashion will be abandoned in favour of fielding more suitable escort vessels.